A Boeing-made Delta Airlines flight departed from Aruba heading to Atlanta but had to return and make an emergency landing due to an engine failure during takeoff, Daily Mail reported.
Delta flight DL581 with 168 passengers forced to make emergency landing in Aruba due to mechanical issue
The Boeing 737-900 pilot circled the Caribbean island four times before safely landing back on the ground because of a “mechanical issue.”
A representative from the airline informed DailyMail.com that the plane carried 168 passengers, along with four flight attendants and two pilots. Passengers had to stay an additional night in Aruba before being flown out on Wednesday.
“Delta flight DL581 from Aruba to Atlanta experienced a mechanical issue shortly after takeoff. It landed safely and returned to the gate uneventfully,” the spokesperson said. “Delta teams are working to get our customers to their final destinations as quickly and safely as possible and we apologize for the delay in their travels.”
One passenger talked about the incident on Reddit. They wrote that: “One of the engines blew up mid takeoff, we circled Aruba four times and emergency landed.”
One passenger mentioned that Delta covered the costs for hotels and meals during the delay. Another passenger reported hearing a ‘loud boom’ shortly after the flight took off.
“It sounded like it happened right after the landing gear went up. I thought at first one side of the gear got stuck and went up late.”
Passenger describes captain’s announcement during engine issue, Boeing continues to face challenges
The passenger mentioned that the captain used the announcement system to inform everyone that the left engine was on fire, but assured them it was under control. After conducting the required checks, the pilot decided to return to Aruba.
This is just the latest negative publicity for Boeing, which has been facing a challenging year.
On Tuesday, the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration emphasized that Boeing needs to enhance its safety culture and resolve quality concerns before the agency will approve an increase in 737 MAX production.
In late January, the FAA took an extraordinary measure by informing Boeing that it would not authorize the company to ramp up production of the 737 MAX, following a mid-air emergency on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier in the same month.
